Forum For Hatred?

January 06, 1992|By Mitchell W. Hurst.

CHICAGO — I can appreciate your attempt to present balanced views of issues that are important to our society, however misguided those views might be. But providing Rep. William E. Dannemeyer space on your Dec. 23 Op-Ed page to spew his hatred for homosexuals (in the guise of discussing the issue of gays in the military) only provides incentive for those who make sport of gay-bashing. Dannemeyer offers no new or relevant information on the subject, and avoids a wealth of research already completed. Instead, he defends homophobia as proper moral conviction, and confirms just about every nega-tive gay stereotype that exists.

It is especially disheartening to see Mr. Dannemeyer`s attitude toward and lack of knowledge about AIDS, seeing that he is the ranking minority member on the House Subcommittee on Health and Environment. Those ``luna-tics`` from ACT-UP are in his face because he doesn`t do his homework and feels it necessary to inject his own morality into every issue that comes his way.

Mr. Dannemeyer has long been known for his hatred of any group or activity that doesn`t fall within what he defines as traditional American values. He`s obviously a scared individual who can`t bear the thought of having all types of Americans participate in the military and in government.